134 Report on Building Stone of New York. 



north-east to south-west, and back nearly to the railroad line, making 

 an area of several acres from which stone is extracted. The locality 

 was first opened when the canal was dug, in 182o ; and the Carpen- 

 ters began work here in 1829. The stone is covered by soil, and the 

 top beds are thin, for three feet or so in depth ; then comes the 

 gray limestone, having a thickness of 12 to 24 feet. At the bottom 

 there is hydraulic limestone, six feet thick, and under it a black, 

 shaly rock. The quarry stone has a grayish shade of color and crystal, 

 line texture. The beds dip south at a low angle. There are no 

 seams or regular sets of joints in the rock. It dresses well ; is solid, 

 dense and specially adapted for heavy masonry, as well as for house 

 trimmings and cut work. When fine cut the surface is not very 

 different in shade from the rock. Formerly a large amount of stone 

 was quarried here for building purposes, but since the great increase 

 in the use of sandstone this limestone has been comparatively 

 neglected. It has been used for monumental work also. At the 

 present time the stone is being quarried for canal lock construction. 

 There are three derricks in the quarry, besides a double, traveling 

 shed derrick. 



The Lockport gray limestone has been employed to a large extent 

 in stone construction at home, and the curbing, crosswalks, canal 

 locks, N. Y. C. R. R. viaduct, several store-houses and church build- 

 ings, shows how well it stands the exposure of years, and its dura- 

 bility. As a cut stone for trimming, with brick walls, it has been 

 used extensively. Outside of Lockport it has found markets in 

 Buffalo, Niagara Falls and other cities. A fine example of the stone, 

 fine dressed, is in the Lenox Library building, on Fifth avenue and 

 Seventieth street, New York city. 



Niagara Falls. — The Niagara limestone formation, affords stone 

 for building in the Falls village, and small quarries are opened in the 

 vicinity of the place. They do not sell stone to other points. 



